The battle at the end of Eternity
by Forman
Summary: What happens when The Shining Force defeats Dark Dragon...


Shining Force - The battle at the end of Eternity  
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Foreword: Apologies for throwing you in at the deep end, but due to time restraints (coupled  
with the fact I rarely finish anything not done in one sitting) this is based soley  
on the ending and the closing moments of the final battle. It also hasn't been checked  
over or re-written to my own satisfaction, so it might also read like a dog.   
  
Hey, at least it's free, eh?  
  
-------------------------------------------------  
  
They were known as the Shining Force.  
  
And for now, they were locked in mortal combat. A battle upon which the fate of the very Earth   
rested, no less.   
  
Fortunately for all concerned, they were winning.  
  
The demonic form of Dark Dragon had looked unbeatable at first, especially to a group that had  
just moments ago had to defeat the deadliest sorcerer ever to be born, Darksol, along with an   
entire legion of enemies straight from the depths of hell. Upon his death, he had summoned Dark   
Dragon, the legendary Demon that was destined to plunge the world into a thousand years of   
bloodshed and strife before destroying it utterly.  
  
Before that, they had defeated the Battle King of Runefaust, reputed to be the greatest killer  
on earth, a man whose bloodlust was unquenchable. Since then, they'd had no time to rest before  
taking on the two greatest threats the world had ever seen: the now dead Darksol, and the   
legendary Dark Dragon, whose resurrection it had been their task to prevent. They had failed to  
prevent such an occurrance by the merest of fractions and had to resort to taking on the Demon  
that was recorded in the oldest legends as being unbeatable, whose only defeat had been when it  
had been locked into another dimension by the ancients. It had found a way out. And it was  
far more powerful than it had ever felt before.  
  
And unbeatable it should have been. But it wasn't. The strength and willpower of the Shining   
Force was beyond belief, and slowly but surely they had turned an impossible situation into   
another impossible situation: from an unbeatable enemy into an unbeatable enemy being defeated.  
  
Arrows had peppered the huge form relentlessly, swords and lances had sliced it open, and mighty  
spells had scorched its flesh and froze it solid. More than this however, the leader of the   
Shining Force now wielded a blade wrought from the very fabric of Light and Darkness - the   
mystical, holy blade known as the Chaosbreaker, the legendary sword which existed soley in order   
to maintain the balance between Good and Evil. This blade shone a deep shade of green, glowed   
brightly, and cut through anything it touched like a knife goes through warm butter. It even  
possessed its own awareness: more than once it had blocked bullets and lunges of its own accord,  
and taken a large percentage of the damage that should have been inflicted by spells with enough  
power to raze mountains to the ground.  
  
And now it was cutting through the third, final, central head of Dark Dragon. Earnst charged at  
it, driving his lance deep into the neck of the beast before being hurled clear with a sweep of   
the tail. He wasn't badly hurt and Max grinned: he remembered during their first meeting how   
Earnst had provived an escape route by headbutting through a wall. No wonder he had been eager  
to assist the Shining Force - he was both berserk and insanely strong, with a bone to pick  
against Runefaust.  
  
Dark Dragon lunged at him, the large jaws snapping shut inches from his face. The Chaosbreaker  
swept out, causing his enemy to back off in pain.  
  
He saw his chance. With one powerful, desperate lunge, he rammed the Chaosbreaker right through   
Dark Dragon's left eyeball. Shrieking in pain, the evil one tried to shake the blade out, but   
Max held it in fast, wrenching the weapon from side to side to inflict as much damage as   
possible. With one last shriek, the huge form slumped to the ground. Within moments, it began to   
move again, if somewhat groggily.  
  
'This thing isn't dying,' screamed Lowe desperately.  
  
'Max,' Nova yelled, 'Pierce its brain with the Chaosbreaker! We can't give up now!'  
  
Max did as Nova 'suggested' grabbing the hilt in both hands, leaping atop the skull and driving  
down into the brain with all his might.  
  
The impact was sudden and unexpected. Lighting exploded forth from the fatal blow, hurling all  
the Shining Force members other than Max most of the way across the room. A final, enraged  
scream issued forth from Dark Dragon, then all was deathly silent. Max made to jump down from the  
corpse, but to his dismay he found that something was terribly wrong.  
  
He could not remove his hands. Something was flowing over the top of them, holding them fast to   
the hilt of the Chaosbreaker. Gritting his teeth, he put one foot against the crosspiece and   
strained to get free, pulling with all his might. No chance, whatever was holding him to it was   
inhumanly powerful. Fighting a rising tide of panic, he drove it deeper into the still writhing  
form of Dark Dragon.   
  
Words began whispering into his head. 'Afraid are you, mortal? You think that killing me would  
be so easy? It may be the end for me, but I'll take you with me.'  
  
Dark Dragon. It was his doing. The blade of the Chaosbreaker was now completely immobile, and  
wouldn't budge so much as an inch in any direction. Max's breathing became laboured with the  
titanic struggle to let go, and the effort was driving immense pain into him. Obviously more of  
the Dragon's doing.  
  
Seeing his plight, Mae dashed over to him as he knelt, locked in place by the powers of darkness  
holding his hands glued to the sword. 'Max, what's wrong with you?' she asked, her voice fearful.  
  
'Damn hands... won't... let go,' he hissed. His hands were burning, and smoke was pouring out  
from his gloves. Nerve pain, not real, although the effect was the same. He was having difficulty  
refraining from screaming in agony.  
  
Gort was suddenly beside him. He reached out to help Max release his grip on the weapon but Max  
snarled at him to stay back.   
  
'Keep the hell away from me!' he snapped. Gort and Mae's look of surprise made him explain   
himself further, even though the very act of speaking was driving lances of fire through his   
being. 'If you touch me, you might not be able to let go either. I'm not having you stuck here to  
die with me now that we've come this far.'  
  
Gort and Mae listened attentively, then took a hand each and tried to dislodge his grip. 'You   
idiots,' Max said in disbelief. 'I told you not to touch me!'  
  
Gort, grunting with the strain, growled 'I heard you boy, and it was truly noble, awe inspiring,  
heroic, and above all, utterly stupid. We're your friends, we're your followers, and we're sure  
as hell not about to let you go down in a place like this. Now shut your yap and struggle to get  
free, damn it!'  
  
'Idiots,' Max whispered, though he was touched beyond words at their willingness to sacfrifice  
themselves for him. The rest of the Shining Force, or those that were still able to walk at   
least, gathered around him.  
  
'What's wrong with him?' Tao demanded furiously. Anri added her strength to that of Mae, and  
Tao did the same with Gort. It was like trying to move a mountain with their bare hands. Max  
cast a glance over his shoulder.  
  
Lowe was moving amongst the wounded, casting healing spells to aid their recovery. Zylo and Ken  
had been hurt badly in the fight, although they had given as good as they got. It had been their  
job to take out the Skeleton machine gunners which kept appearing from the doors to either side  
of the room, and they had done their job extremely well, taking out almost fifty apiece. Each   
skeleton alone could decimate a standard army with no trouble at all.  
  
Earnst and Musashi were making their way over to where he lay, and he surmised that the rest of   
his group were on the other side of Dark Dragon blocking the stairs and doorways from any further  
threat. There wouldn't be enough people free to get him loose.  
  
A resounding boom echoed throughout the corridors, shaking ornate tiles from the roof and   
knocking over several stone pillars.  
  
'What in the hell was that?' demanded a bloodied Earnst, struggling to keep his four hooves  
on the ground.  
  
Nova appeared, his face grim. 'I believe that the castle is sinking into the sea once more. Max,  
we must leave at once.'   
  
'I'm bloody well trying,' Max grunted. 'This thing isn't letting me go.'  
  
Another crash could be heard in the distance. A large rock fell from the ceiling, smashing into   
the ground inches from where Tao was.   
  
Max sighed. There was no more time left. 'Okay people, get the hell out of here. You've done  
your best and I'm proud of you all, but we're out of options. If you stay we'll all be killed.'  
  
'Don't be stupid,' Nova told him. 'We're not abandoning you.'  
  
Max shook his head. 'There's nothing you can do. I'm ordering you all to leave. Now!'   
  
Not one of them moved. The castle had begun shaking violently, and it was obvious that it had   
begun sinking into the ocean again. Water began seeping in through the cracked walls and forming  
a thin pool across the floor. There was only one way out: within five minutes it would would be  
blocked and flooded, leaving them with no hope of escape. Dark Dragon's mocking laughter let   
itself be known again. 'All of you? This is excellent. All my enemies will die along with you.'  
  
Max gritted his teeth and pulled once again. Nothing. His friends let go of him to allow their  
strength to build for one final effort.  
  
'Well, I guess you're not going to follow my orders this time,' he said in resignation.   
  
'Finally admitted that we're going to live and die with you?' Mae asked with a smile. The smile  
faded as soon as she saw his expression.   
  
'No,' He said, his voice determined. 'I might be going down, but I'm not taking you guys with   
me. If I have to go to Hell, I'll go alone!'   
  
'Max, what are you...?'  
  
His hands began to glow as he began the Egress spell, a teleportation technique used mainly for   
escaping from battle. He knew instinctively that it would be no use to him here, but it would at   
least save the rest of them from sharing his fate.  
  
Liquid fire was coursing through his mind. The problem with magic was that it had to be done   
with intense precision or it would fail to work, which is why he had not tried it up until this  
point. Nevertheless, Max would need to achieve some degree of mental clarity in order to perform   
this last resort. It came almost effortlessly, which surprised him. Light suddenly rushed at him   
in a wave, which swept over all of them with unbelievable speed. He struggled to remain   
conscious: the spell caused the user and his comrades to faint, but he couldn't allow that to   
happen. He had to know if they were safe.  
  
They were. As it passed through them they disappeared from sight, leaving nothing behind to  
show that they had ever been there. The sudden silence was shocking, as even the castle stopped   
sinking. Seconds later, it began once more. He'd at least be awake to meet his end.  
  
Max smiled. The prospect of death suddenly seemed to lose its fear. 'Well, Varios, it looks like  
we'll see each other again sooner than I thought. Get me a drink ready for when I arrive, will   
you?'  
  
Even Dark Dragon's laughter was nothing more than a buzzing in his ear. The scene was beautiful   
and serene, and no amount of vile hatred could spoil his enjoyment of life for this single,  
shining moment in time.  
  
-------------  
  
The Shining Force, minus their leader, came to their senses a mile or so from the Castle where  
the battle between Good and Evil had played itself out. The castle was still visible, and still  
sinking.  
  
Nova looked out at the raging sea. 'He didn't make it,' he said sadly. 'I think that perhaps a  
guardian hero was required to stay behind and ensure that Dark Dragon does not rise once more to  
threaten the world again.'  
  
Mae buried her face in her hands and wept. Anri and Tao were having trouble keeping themselves  
composed - their jaws were clenched and trembling, and they were swallowing against the tightness  
in their throat. Even old Gort stood by silently with misty eyes. The scene was almost unreal.  
  
'No way,' Zylo hissed. 'No way will I allow this to happen.' He began making his way to the edge  
of the cliff and looked out to the castle. He was about to jump into the sea and make his way  
to it once more, even if it meant swimming the whole way, at exactly the same moment that it slid  
beneath the waves forever.  
  
'No! This can't be... it can't end like this!'  
  
--------------  
  
Max was no longer concerned about whether he lived or died. He no longer seemed to have any   
choice in the matter, after all. Thinking back over the entire campaign, he had been in countless  
situations where he should have been killed. Mainly through skill he had survived, but luck had  
occasionally played a part too. And luck, he knew, could only last for so long before it decided  
to leave you to your own devices.  
  
Something was nagging at him though. He felt vaguely uncomfortable that he was about to die,   
which was strangely worse than the panic which he had felt less than five minutes ago. Something  
was screaming at him that this was not to be his final resting place, but what could he do? He   
was stuck, and no amount of straining had freed his hands so far.  
  
Yet there was still that feeling of doubt. It took a while to pinpoint it.  
  
Kane. Kane had taken his destiny into his own hands and been killed by Darksol. Once the mask   
controlling his actions had broken, he had been so overcome with guilt and remorse that he had  
twice saved Max's life when it had seemed there was no way out.  
  
Could I have got out of those situations without his help, he wondered?  
  
Of course. There was no need for him to sacrifice himself for me. I could have escaped, people  
were relying on me at the time. Unlike now. His death to save mine... wouldn't it be wasted if I  
were to let myself die here?  
  
His thoughts wandered to his companions... they had all been prepared to die for him. Some had,  
but Lowe was an exceptional healer, beyond anyone he had ever seen. He and the other priests in  
his group were powerful enough to heal a shattered body and then retrieve the soul so long as  
they were part of the Shining Force. They were destined to win, and so they had.   
  
He wondered briefly if Kane would be allowed to be resurrected? After all, he had proved beyond   
doubt that without the mask he would have been an invaluable part of the Shining Force... Varios   
had died too long ago to receive the same, killed by Kane's hand. But it was not the real Kane   
that had done so.  
  
Perhaps I could find him and revive him if it's not too late.  
  
If I could get out of here.  
  
And then, once I've rested and taken some leisure time free of killing, could I visit my friends  
once more? The face of Ken, Tao, Anri and Gort sprang to mind along with the rest of them. They  
had depended on him. Wouldn't it be selfish to die without trying to the last to survive?  
  
But how to get out? His hands were rooted to the sword hilt, immobile. Then it hit him.  
  
The Chaosbreaker had magic. Attack magic. Powerful, devastating magic. It was crazy, but he'd   
had enough experience to know that crazy things either got you killed or worked like a charm.   
Considering the less appealing option was going to happen anyway, he decided to go for broke.  
  
He unleashed the spell upon himself, directed at his right hand. The impact was screamingly   
painful, fire and lightning tearing through his hands. As a friend, he knew it would not try to  
kill him of its own accord, but he needed enough power to free at least one hand. Sweat broke  
out on his forehead, his gasping became ragged, and his teeth were gritted against the extreme   
pain.   
  
There was a sound like an explosion, and his right hand was torn from the hilt. Quickly delving  
into his tunic pocket, he produced and ate a healing seed quickly, and watched as the blistered  
and bleeding flesh began to repair itself.  
  
'Try the other one,' said Dark Dragon in an amused tone. 'I've ensured that you're stuck with me  
for as long as that accursed sword remains in my flesh.' It was almost dead, but the castle would  
be submerged before that happened.   
  
When he tried it with his other hand, he found to his horror that he could not focus his   
thoughts. The Dragon had screened his mind by silencing him. Then it died, with the spells still  
active. There was no help for it, there was only one option left.  
  
He drew the hunting knife he kept sheathed at his belt. And with a snarl of rage he stabbed at  
his wrist, cutting into the bone. Blood spurted, drenching himself in it. It took five more  
stabs to sever the hand completely, and at the last, the Chaosbreaker gave out, the hilt falling   
at his feet now that it was no longer in his hands. Scooping it up and depostiting it in his bag   
with his right hand, he rummaged around for the White Ring in his bag. The pain was almost   
unbearable, but he kept it at the back of his mind, pressing the stump of his left arm against   
his clothes to slow the bleeding as much as possible.  
  
Finally finding it, he used his teeth to get it onto his right hand's middle finger and pressed  
his butchered wrist up against the hand he'd cut off. Then, focussing his concentration as hard   
as possible, he managed to cut through the weakening silence spell and forced it to heal him. The  
tendons wired themselves together, the flesh knitting and strengthening as the white light bathed  
them both together.   
  
He flexed the fingers, and was relieved to find it was as good as new. He never wanted to have   
to resort to that ever again. The Chaosbreaker secure in his bag, he held out his hands and cast  
Egress just as the walls began to collapse and the sea rushed in.   
  
The light hit him moments before the ocean did. This time he made no effort to remain   
consciousness ass he was buffeted away by the waves of the Egress.  
  
Oblivion was almost a relief to his bone tired body, which woke up several miles from where the  
Shining Force had. Max gave a brief thought to going after them, but finally decided that a   
vacation was in order first. Drawing the Chaosbreaker, he flashed it on to ensure that it still   
worked, and, satisfied that it had only stopped since his not holding it had freed it from Dark  
Dragon's spell, replaced it in his bag.  
  
Looking out to sea, he took a deep breath of fresh air and watched the gulls swooping over the   
waves against a clear blue sky. Life, he decided, was worth living for, no matter the what the  
cost could have been to himself.  
  
He stayed looking out to sea until he found that he was starving, then made his way towards a   
village he could just make out in the distance. With any luck, he'd be there within the hour.   
Settling his travel bag upon his back, he began to run.  
  
Life was good.  
  
--------------  
  
Several months passed since the climatic battle between Dark Dragon and the Shining Force. Life   
was returning to normal once again for the inhabitants of Runefaust, and the land was once more   
returned to peace. The farmers were able to raise crops which would no longer be plundered for   
the war effort, and their harvests were looking to be better than they had ever been.  
  
It was one of these farmsteads that was to unknowingly recruit the deadliest swordsman ever to  
walk the land. The Farmer had been sitting by the roadside taking a break from his work and   
enjoying the sunshine, when he was asked for directions by a carefree young man in a blue cloak  
and a mainly green outfit. He looked strong, if tired.  
  
'Been travelling long, boy?' the farmer asked politely after telling him where he was.  
  
'Most of my life,' the young man answered wearily.  
  
'Aye,' the older man responded, 'you've the look of someone who's seen a lot of things in his  
life. The good and the bad.'  
  
Max lifted his head to take a good look around at the scene before him. The sun shone gloriously  
through white clouds to light the golden fields with such brilliance that he thought he might be  
blinded by it. The green grass was just as beautiful heading towards the village, and the cows  
lazed around grazing as they felt the need take them. It was... peaceful.  
  
'Hey, old man,' Max said, wincing at being so blunt. 'Sorry. I was just wondering if you needed  
any extra hands on this farm at all? I feel the need to settle down, if only for a short while.  
I've not worked on one before, but I'm a hard worker and a fast learner.'  
  
The old man looked at him appraisingly. 'We can't pay much more than three meals a day and a   
roof over your head, but if that's okay by you, you're welcome to stay here.'  
  
'Perfect, thanks,' Max said gratefully. 'I can't say when I'll be leaving again, but thanks for   
the offer.' He shrugged his traveling bag off his shoulder and took another look at the  
farmhouse, his new, if temporary, home.  
  
'Don't worry, I'm sure you'll earn your keep well. Now, what's your name? I can't keep calling  
you 'young man' if you're working for me, can I?'  
  
Max hesitated a moment, then smiled. His real name was too well known by now, and he wanted to  
distance himself from his old life, if only for a while. 'Well,' he said at last, 'they call   
me... Pestachio De Labardo.'  
  
'Now that's a strange name,' the Farmer mused. 'Well, let's get you settled in, shall we? You  
can start work in the morning, for now I think you need a bath and some sleep. You look like a  
zombie.'  
  
Max grinned. Killed quite a few of those, he thought as he followed his new employer into the   
house.  
  
----------------  
  
The end of the beginning, and the beginning of everything that goes afterwards.  
  
Well, what do you think? I'll be honest, you're unlikely to think less of it than I do, but  
unfortunately I've no time to do it up as I'd like to - I just went through it once and wrote it  
down as it popped into my head, so I couldn't polish and improve on it as I usually do. It was  
done in a burst of enthusiasm and dedication to my favourite Megadrive (Genesis) game ever, and  
a game which I still recall fondly even now in the days of such machines as the Dreamcast and  
PS2 as possibly the best RPG ever written. Final Fantasy? You can keep it for all I care.  
  
So, I dedicate this to the first game that made me stay up all night to finish off that Dark   
Dragon scumbag, and for having one of the best endings and storylines ever. Simplistic, yet  
powerful.  
  
Now go and read Strider Yoshi's one! Don't walk, run! Go! GO!  
  
By the way, I've spelled Earnst's name wrong, haven't I? It's been about eight years since I   
last seen the game, so I hope you can forgive this slight oversight. You can, can't you?  
  
Oh, and I know that the 'No, it can't end like this!' line was overly melodramatic. That would  
have been the first thing I changed if I had time. Which I don't, for writing thing has given me  
incentive to learn about Shining Force 3, parts 2 and 3 ,which were never translated! Mwaha!  
  
Seeya! 


End file.
